Montco men not deterred by protests, obtain license to marry

NORRISTOWN — Protests by a conservative group and the ensuing crush by media didn’t deter two Montgomery County men from expressing their love and commitment to one another.

Sander Schlichter and Charles Burrus, who live in the Penn Valley section of Lower Merion and have been together more than 13 years, weren’t phased by either group as they appeared at the Montgomery County Register of Wills Office on Friday to obtain a marriage license.

“We got here and I said, ‘Oh great, the media’s here’ and Charlie’s like, ‘Yay,’” Schlichter joked, adding the couple wasn’t aware that members of the Pro-Life Coalition of Pa. would be at the office to oppose same-sex unions and the media there to report it.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, to get married,” Burrus said. “It did not deter us. We have seen enough protests in our lives that we just let it roll off our backs.”

As the couple completed the required paperwork to obtain the license, members of the conservative group, holding rosaries and signs reading “Children Need a Mom and Dad” and calling for people to “return to God’s laws,” prayed just feet away during what was a peaceful protest of the issuance of licenses to same-sex couples.

“There’s always going to be protests. They have a right to be here just as much as we have a right to be here. You know what, they can’t hurt me,” a confident Schlichter said about the protesters.

“And my father is a Pentecostal preacher, so it is interesting,” Burrus added.

Burrus and Schlichter held hands, smiled widely and then kissed when they received the paper to tie the knot, something they’ve dreamed about for so long, as television and print camera crews and reporters hovered around them, documenting what is usually a more private moment.

“We have this piece of paper and they can’t take that away from us. If the state does that’s fine, but we have this piece of paper and we’re going to get married and they can’t take that away,” said Schlichter, proudly and happily clutching the license to marry.

“Yes!” echoed Burrus.D. Bruce Hanes, the county’s Register of Wills, began granting licenses to same-sex couples on Wednesday. By Friday, more than two dozen same-sex couples had obtained licenses.

“I told him immediately, let’s go now,” Burrus recalled telling his partner when he learned licenses were being granted in their home county. “I wanted to be the first male couple but that’s OK. We missed it by a few, but that’s all right.”

The county officials and same-sex couples who marry could find themselves in court if state officials challenge their actions.

“I think we may have a private wedding and then have a big celebration in the spring. We want to get married while the window is open before the state or whoever closes it down,” Schlichter said.

“We will have a big celebration when the time is right,” added Burrus.

The couple, who met while working at a hospital in North Carolina where Schlichter was a medical student and Burrus was a nurse, praised employees of the Register of Wills Office and county security officials for making them feel comfortable during the process and for helping to make their dream a reality.

“The staff has been fantastic, they have been so lovely,” said Burrus, a former pediatric critical care nurse who now concentrates on a full-time career as a mixed media artist with a Philadelphia gallery. “Everyone has been extremely polite, respectful and very supportive. We certainly appreciate that.”

“And by the book, by the law, which that’s their job,” added Schlichter, who is an anesthesiologist at a Philadelphia hospital.

Some county office workers and other couples filing for licenses at the same time uttered “Congratulations” to Burrus and Schlichter. One person added, “Stay strong.”

The jovial couple kissed as they left the office.

“I’m so glad that we’ve come so far in these last couple of years,” Burrus said with reflection. “I just feel like it’s a process — that we’re growing and becoming more equal.”